Resources.

Accessing healthcare related resources in the community can be challenging. Listed below are a few you may find helpful.

Primary Care.

1. Palmetto Family Healthcare: Palmetto Family Healthcare is a small family practice clinic in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Their purpose is to provide quality health care to individuals and families in our community who do not have health insurance, or have high deductible insurance. Palmetto Family Healthcare is not a charity; they are a working medical clinic designed for the working uninsured. Office visits cost $55. Location: 4821 Hwy 98 West, Suite 104, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida 32459. Phone #: (850) 622-2055.

2. County Health Department(s): Both Okaloosa and Walton counties have multiple locations, several of which are listed below.

3. Crossroads Clinic: Crossroads Center Inc. is a faith-based medical ministry that provides quality medical and dental care for the low income and uninsured residents of Okaloosa and Walton Counties in Northwest Florida. Patients must be an adult (18-64 years of age), be a U.S. citizen or legal resident, and have a family income that does not exceed 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Crossroads Center offers a variety of services including primary care, preventative care, and limited specialty and pharmaceutical services. As of 2014, the center added dental care to the list of services offered. Patients can also receive lab services through our community partners. To promote the health of our patients, we also offer diabetes and nutrition education, smoking cessation education, assistance with medications, and counseling services. Location: 444 Valparaiso Parkway, Building C, Valparaiso, Florida 32580. Phone #: (850) 389-3015

5. Urgent Care Clinics: There are many urgent care clinics in Okaloosa and Walton counties. These are usually private businesses with varying prices and policies. Please contact them directly for more information.

Labwork / Blood Analysis.

6. ProHealth: ProHealth is a private company that performs labwork and blood analysis. For those patients that don't qualify for charity programs at area hospitals, this may be the best option to get labwork completed. They have locations in Fort Walton Beach, Crestview, Santa Rosa Beach, Gulf Breeze, Pensacola, and Milton. The phone numbers vary depending on the location, individual phone numbers can be found at www.prohealthfl.com.

Prescriptions / Medications.

7. GoodRX: Is the easiest way we know for our patients to find the best prices on their medications. Follow the link below, enter your medication(s) and your zipcode, print off the coupon(s), and take it to your pharmacy to get the discount. http://www.goodrx.com/

8. Sharing and Caring: Is an emergency food bank providing a basic staple of foods for needy individuals and families. In addition to food, they provide assistance with prescription medication, personal care items and clothing vouchers. They are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm. They close at 11:30 am on the third Monday of each month for a general membership meeting and on Federal Holidays. Location: 126 Beal Parkway SW Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548. Phone #: (850) 244-0778.

10. Medication Disposal: Please dispose of medications properly. Flushing them or throwing them often means they find their way into local waterways or groundwater. Here are some resources for our area:

Okaloosa County:Sheriff Larry Ashley has set up a program in Okaloosa County that allows the public to drop off unwanted, unused, or expired prescription drugs at the OCSO offices during regular business hours Monday through Friday. The addresses of those district offices are:

Shalimar: Shalimar Courthouse Annex, 1250 Eglin Parkway

Crestview: OCSO North End District Office, 296 Brackin St.

Destin: Destin Substation 107, Stahlman Ave.

11. Routine Screening (EPPS): Ever wonder what routine tests you could be doing to monitor your health? Follow the link below and input your data for feedback regarding routine screening relevant to you (or your patient). AHRQ's Electronic Preventive Services Selector (ePSS) is a quick, hands-on tool designed to help primary care clinicians and health care teams identify, prioritize, and offer the screening, counseling and preventive medication services that are appropriate for their patients. The ePSS is based on the current, evidence-based recommendations of the U.S. preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and can be searched by specific patient characteristics, such as age, sex and selected behavioral risk factors. Available both as a Web-based selector and as a downloadable PDA application, the ePSS brings information on clinical preventive services that clinicians need - recommendations, clinical considerations, and selected practice tools - to the point of care.